I’m back in the office today and Hayden is running around like a mad man, so things are getting back to something like normal at my house… thanks again for all the prayers, support and kinds words (I am working my way through the emails to reply individually).
And, since I’m back in the office, I wanted to tell you about a revelation I had the other day. See, my friend Ray McNally gave me a DVD of ‘Door to Door’, the Bill Porter story, to watch and I did last weekend when I was up till 3am while Hayden was in the hospital.
Bill Porter is a door to door salesman who started in the early 1950’s with a company called Watkins and sold soap and other household goods to his neighborhood. Played by one of my favorite actors, William H. Macy, Porter had an extra ordinary career and that’s about all I can tell you without giving away too much of the movie.
And, I do recommend that you go to Blockbuster and rent it… because as entrepreneurs we all have to overcome failure and find our way to success… and Bill Porter did that in spite of having cerebral palsy. I’ve done door to door sales and I can tell you, my hat’s off to Mr. Porter.
His is a true, heartwarming story that will give you a reason to appreciate the entrepreneur lifestyle at a deeper level. In the United States, there is a prejudice against salespeople, and yet, Bill Porter declares in the movie ‘I love being a salesman’, and you learn why.
It’s actually beautiful to see this guy sell something he believes in and watch the impact he has on the lives around him.
As an Internet Marketer you face a similar challenge to the door to door salesperson because, like the ‘unwanted visitor’ at the front door, your lowly email is at first suspected of being spam and faces a ‘virtual slammed door’ as your email is sent to the trash bin (the good news is that your email doesn’t take the rejection quite as personally — though it never feels good to send out a mailing and get no sales.).
If you want to learn how to build a relationship with your subscribers, watch ‘Door to Door’, because you’ll see it done by a master who takes pride in his selling in the face of huge obstacles that most of us don’t have.
On that subject, let me say that especially in the early days, every entrepreneur faces an overwhelming urge to quit.
Especially in Internet Marketing, there are a lot of technical and foreign things to learn in addition to the art of selling your products and services. If you’ve ever felt like nothing’s going right and it’s time to hang up your hat… watch ‘Door to Door’ for some perspective.
In the mean time, I’ve got another short movie that you’ll find inspiring (click here and watch it). A few posts ago I told you about Mike Filsaime’s viral marketing success story… and shared a ‘leaked chapter’ from his upcoming course, Butterfly Marketing, which launches on January 31st.
What’s the movie about? It features Mike naked.
Well, it features live video of Mike’s Paypal and Stormpay accounts… fully exposed with good months and bad all laid on the table. No BS, just the naked truth. I think you’ll find the clip inspiring.
With that in mind, I’m still trying to line up a specific date for Mike and I to do a call for you to answer your questions about viral traffic and the whole story behind how he went from high pressure day job to highly satisfying daily Paypal deposits in such a short time. I’ll keep you posted on that.
This video is a bold and Maverick strategy because Mike’s gone beyond the ’screen shot’ approach, which can be ‘doctored’ and gone straight to unedited screencam video of his actual account.
If you think about it, a guy who built a list of 300,000 and claims an income of nearly seven figures in just three years of being online is going to attract some naysayers.
And so will you if the moment you ask someone to buy something from you online. Now, doing a screen cam video of your PayPal account may not fit the context of your business at all, but using audio or video can be quite compelling ‘proof’ and is a proven strategy.
Here’s the key: Mike is launching a course about how to make a ton of money with viral traffic… so a video proving Mike’s income is a sharp idea because it demonstrates proof he knows his stuff.
If you’re offering a line of nutritional products, for example, your key promise is perhaps the health benefits of your products… or your knowledge of the choices based on your expertise. You could include audio testimonials from your satisfied customers on your website. This would provide proof that your expertise or products did what you say… helped your customers.
If you want to use video, perhaps you could do a before and after video of your own experience… this has been done effectively where the results are visual, like with weightloss or skin conditions.
Obviously, before and after works well for beauty products, too.
But here’s what I want you to take away from this example: it’s powerful because it reveals the naked truth about Mike’s offer (and business) in an irrefutable and positive way… and the closer your marketing gets to the naked truth, the more YOUR prospects will believe you and buy from you.
So go check out Mike’s video at http://www.maverickmarketer.com/butterfly because it illustrates the power of building a responsive list and Mike’s effective strategies in a dramatic way.
And by the way, if your numbers in your business don’t look quite like Mike’s right now… remember that HIS numbers didn’t always look like that either. And then think of Bill Porter… patience and persistence are entrepreneurial principles to live by.
The naked truth about marketing and being in business is that sometimes you have to just keep at it until you hit your numbers. You have to prove yourself to your prospects before they will buy… and a little naked truth sharing on your part can really help close the deal. And as Bill Porter showed, pushing beyond your comfort zone is the key to success.
I guess what I like about Mike’s story is that he figured it out in his first year online. He’s definitely a Maverick Marketer worth watching closely. He’s doing all the right things for his product launch.
Find out why here for yourself…
- Craig
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Naysayers are sometimes people who know better. Mike has mastered the art of making big money fast.
You might notice that the “Old Timers” have a slow and steady approch. Every one of them. I wonder why that is?
Chuck,
I appreciate your take on this and I’d like to add a couple thoughts.
Old Timers didn’t have the same fast paced world we live in. I’ve been reading The Google Story and here’s a couple of kids worth over 10 billion each at the age of 30 after ten years. Google’s rise dwarfs companies older and initially better positioned to profit from search. Fact is, because of the Internet and the communication between large numbers of people, things happen faster now.
I can’t think of any inherent reason to resist ‘mastering the art of making big money fast’ if one is creating value and operating ethically. Using viral methods, even small transactions can add up to large sums of money, and they actually can grow inspite of the business owner’s efforts.
In Mike’s case, I know him and a bit about his past and present and I’d say he’s simply mastered marketing and offering value to his customers. Given the industry he’s in and the intensity of his efforts, his results are well earned.
I think the ‘old timers’ cautioned against the pursuit of fast money… and I would too… because such focus often overlooks the need to create value and solid businesses vs. a fast buck.
But I can’t think of anyone who objects to prudent business practices yielding big money quickly. Everyone objects to making big money without creating value in exchange… because someone is getting ripped off.
The bottom line is: are you creating value and how effectively are you marketing the value you are creating.
Craig
I’ve gotten to know Mike as one of the most generous and caring people in this world of internet marketers. Some of his products I like, some of them I don’t, but he definitely deserves all the success in the world.
And on a spiritual note – Mike once told me he believes in ’sharing the wealth’ when he did me a great favor. And I think his belief is very authentic and prooves to show that you get what you give… That can go real fast…
Thanks craig for paying him so much kind attention!
Patricia
I have seen the movie “Door to Door” and I agree, it is inspirational and one that certainly hammers home the concept of patience and persistence. It also revealed a greater truth for me: work with the gifts you have been given, be genuine and arrive in service.
There is so much “out there” that make a lot of promises but fail miserably on delivery even after the genuine effort is put forth and all the “simple steps” have been followed. And email offers lead to other offers until your box is so full and your direction has taken so many paths that you don’t even know which turn to make next or what your original purpose was.
I have a 28+ year history in marketing and public relations. I was involved in many marketing successes with brilliant people in thriving agencies. I remember doing everything the “old fashioned” way, before the days of the internet and computers in the office, much less in every home. Those that didn’t make the switch from direct mail, television and radio broadcasting as their main advertising means fast enough got left behind. I am amazed at the new opportunites, especially on such an individual entrepeneurial level, that are being translated from tried and true marketing techniques and passed on. All good, exciting stuff. But just like the “old days,” your product is only as good as your promise.
I am a new-comer to your site, Craig, but what I have seen and put forth the effort on so far makes sense and is true “value added” to the web. I look forward to following Mike’s offers, as well as yours, and appreciate you keeping me posted.
Thank you for giving value in advance of any commitment from subscribers. It truly makes a difference. I believe it will translate into income by direct and indirect means.
Re: Hayden-God blesses your faithfulness.
I’m a long-time volunteer within the Peer-to-Peer support and advocacy movement for persons who experience the consequences of brain injury. I realize that this is not related to for-profit business, however, in my volunteer activities I need to “market” ideas to prospective “customers.”
Brain injury is not curable. It crosses all social constructs. Regardless of your age, skin color or which public restroom door you enter, brain injury happens. Whether you have poverty wages or six-figure income stats, brain injury does not discriminate. Regardless of your sexual preference (often, sometimes, never, gay or straight) you are a candidate. Yet most people have very little understanding regarding what it means in real terms.
The main stream media and entertainment venues have characterized brain injury and disability in a negative manner forever. These characterizations become two dimensional cartoon-like negative ideas in the back of the minds of the general population. This prejudice affects the way that most people view brain injury and any resulting disability.
Once an injury occurs, the prejudice rises up in full fury like a monstrous objection. Family and friends drift away in many cases. Spouses divorce the person injured. And the individual oftentimes rejects the person they see in the mirror, longing for some convoluted memory of their ‘former’ self. The individual’s own prejudice can lead to self-hatred and destructive living. Nevertheless, there is hope. Recovery is different for everyone. And the pace of recovery is as varied as the population.
To reach persons who might benefit from peer-to-peer support, I must overcome some very real objections that are based in fear. This is exactly the same process that every salesperson faces whether they knock on doors, use postal mailing, blog, or use any other medium to reach their target market.
I find the ideas that you share to be fresh, yet soundly rooted in solid principles that are tried and true. Though my efforts are not generating profit or even revenue for the organization, they are helping people to find the peer support that can really make a powerful impact upon their recovery. And in some small way, you are contributing to this process by helping me improve the ways that I use to reach them. So for that, I thank you publicly.
Respectfully,
John Pistorius